Fish-plate.



J. RUNDGREN.

FISH PLATE. APPLICATION FILED JAN.16

Patented Jan. 26, 1915.

W/ r/v555.

JOHN RUNDGREN, 0F VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, T0 RAILWAY SUPPLIES LIMITED, OF VANCOUVER, CANADA, A. CORPORATION OF BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA.

FISH-PLATE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. as, 15915.

Application filed January 15, 1914. Serial No. 812,280.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN RUNDGREN, a subject of the King of Sweden, and a resident of the city of Vancouver, in the Province of British Columbia, Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fish-Plates, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in fishplates with more particular reference to fishplates for use in temporary track construction and light railway work, and the object of my invention is to devise a simple, strong, practical, and absolutely efieotive means of clamping the rail ends securely together without the use of bolts and nuts, thus providing for the assembling and disassembling of temporary railway tracks in a much more expeditious manner than obtains at the present time, thereby reducing the labor costs to a minimum, and at the same time providing a much more convenient form of fastening, since no tools are necessary when laying the track or taking it up, on account of bolts and nuts being dispensed with.

A further object is to devise a means for clamping the rail ends together which shall be cheaper, as regards manufacture, than the, present form of fishplate fastener with its accompanying bolts and nuts, and which shall, at the same time, conform to all the requirements necessary to constitute a successful fastener as far as serviceability is concerned.

I attain these objects by the means illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is a detail view, in perspective, of one of my fishplates, looking on the outside thereof. Fig. 2 is a detail view in perspective, looking on the inside of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail view, in perspective, of the other of my fishplates, looking on the outside thereof. Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing two rails connected together by means of my fishplate. Fig. 5 is an enlarged cross sectional view, taken on the line A-B in Fig. 4.

Similar letters of reference indicate similar parts throughout the several views.

My device is formed in two fishplates, which may be designated, for the purpose of reference herein, as the outer and inner fishplates. The outer fishplate is formed preferably as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and consists of a flat plate a of suitable length which is adapted to fit closely against the web of the rail between the ball and the flange of the rail, the edges 7) and 0 of the plate being ch almfered to conform to the fillets of the ra1 03 is an enlargement formed on the plate a at a point intermediate of its length and adapted to project beyond the inner face of the plate as shown in Fig. 2, and to extend upwardly and downwardly at right angles to the edges 1) and 0 so that the upper and lower edges of the enlargement (Z will be approximately in line with the top and bottom of the rails when the fishplate is in position, as more fully hereinafter described.

6 is a pin formed integrally with the plate a and centrally with the enlargement (Z, which pin extends at right angles to the plate a.

f is a slot through the pin 6 in proximity to the point thereof.

9 are projections formed on the inner face of the plate a, and provided for engagement in the standard bolt holes which are formed in all rails primarily intended for use with the old style of fishplate. These projections g are dispensed with on the plate a if broken rails are joined or rails having no bolt holes.

h is a rib running longitudinally of the plate a, on the outer face thereof, for the purpose of stiffening the plate.

The inner fishplate is formed as a duplicate of the outer fishplate, in so far as the main portion is concerned. The inner plate, however, has no pin e, but in lieu thereof, is provided with a round opening 6, as shown in Fig. 3, through which opening the pin 6 of the outer plate is adapted to engage when the fishplates are in position on the rails as shown in Figs. 4: and 5. Further, the inner plate has no projections corresponding to the projections g on the outer plate.

j are the rails.

Having thus indicated the principal parts of my invention, I will now describe the manner in which it is used.

In track construction the rails are laid so as to allow a space between their ends sufiicient to permit the enlargements (Z of the plates to be entered therebetween. The

outer plate is then put in place against one side of the web of the rail, with the pin 6 projecting through between the rail ends, and the inner plate is put in place against the other side of the web, the pin e then engaging through the round opening 13 of the inner plate. In this position the web of each rail is engaged between the outer and inner fishplates, the space between the rails is bridged by the enlargements d, and the slot ,7 is positioned to engage the cotter 70, all as shown more particularly in Figs. 4 and 5. The cotter 7:, which is wedge shaped, is now placed in the slot 7, and driven up tight, thereby drawing the fishplates together and clamping the rails securely and tightly together.

When it is desired to dis-assemble the track all that is necessary is simply to drive back the cotter is out of the slot 7, when the fishplates can be separated and the rails taken apart.

It will be seen, therefore, that I have devised a fishplate, which for temporary track construction purposes, is adapted to conform to all the requirements of such service, being'strong, simple, practical, and absolutely effective. It will be seen, further, that I have devised a fishplate, the use of which, in temporary track construction will expedite such construction and thereby re- Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the duce the cost of labor to a minimum and which possesses an added advantage in that it can be manufactured at less cost than the present form of fishplate with its accompanying bolts and nuts.

What I claim as my invention is In a rail joint, the combination with a pair of rails, the ends of which are suitably spaced apart, of a plate member adapted to lie against one side of the web of the rails and to extend across the intervening space between the rails and having an enlargement fitting between the rail ends and conforming to the shape thereof, of means extending from the inner face of the plate in proximity to the ends thereof for engaging the Web of the rail, a co-acting plate located on the other side of the rail webs, and having a corresponding enlargement fitting between the rail ends and against the enlargement of the aforesaid plate, and means extending between the rail ends for detachably connecting the'plates together, as and for the purpose specified.

Dated at Vancouver, B. (1, this 24th day of December, 1913.

JOHN RUNDGREN.

Witnesses:

T. E. WILSON, A. C. SKALING.

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

